This invention is not related to any Federally Sponsored Research or Development Program.
The present invention relates to a high-protein frozen food product and more particularly to a high-protein low available carbohydrate and low fat frozen food product.
It is known that high-protein diets can be beneficial for weight loss. In addition, high-protein, low carbohydrate diets have been recommended by some doctors for diabetes patients. One of the most difficult problems in maintaining a high-protein, low carbohydrate, low fat diet is the fact that most dessert or snack products which satisfy a craving for a sweet food contain large amounts of carbohydrates and fats and are low in protein content.
In addition to the high-carbohydrate, low-protein nature of many sweet foods, the organoleptic properties such as taste, and mouth-feel, of low-fat, low-sugar products are not satisfactory. The present invention relates to a high-protein, low-fat frozen food product having good organoleptic properties such as taste, mouth-feel and appearance and if required low available carbohydrate content. In particular, high protein frozen products tend to have a grainy mouth-feel which detracts from their acceptability as a frozen food in spite of their potential health benefits.
According to the present invention, a high-protein, low-fat frozen food product is provided which can be made in a low available carbohydrate form. The frozen food product comprises:
(a) about 10% to about 25% by weight water soluble protein;
(b) about 0.2% to about 15% by weight natural and/or artificial flavors;
(c) about 6% to about 14% by weight of a bulking and/or sweetening agent;
(d) about 0.1% to about 2.0% by weight microcrystalline cellulose;
(e) about 0.1% to about 2.0% by weight pectin;
(f) water; and optionally:
(g) up to about 2.0% by weight stabilizer; and
(h) up to about 0.25% by weight acidulant.
A frozen food with a higher available carbohydrate concentration can be made by substituting a carbohydrate sweetening agent such as dextrose, fructose, high dextrose corn syrup, honey, concentrated fruit juices and the like for a part or all of the synthetic sweetener and bulking agent. The amount of carbohydrate sweeteners can be varied in conjunction with the synthetic sweeteners to provide a product with a protein available carbohydrate ratio within broad limits. The minimum amount of available carbohydrate in the product is determined by the amount of available carbohydrate in the natural flavors which can be used to manufacture the product. The products with the highest protein/available carbohydrate ratio are products which contain synthetic sweeteners and synthetic flavoring agents.
The frozen product has an excellent smooth, creamy mouth-feel, small ice crystal size and excellent flavor.
The high protein frozen product is produced using water soluble protein with a protein efficiency of at least 2.5. The water soluble protein provides a frozen product with a smooth mouthfeel rather than a grainy mouth-feel of insoluble protein. Although a frozen product with excellent mouth-feel requires use of soluble protein, a portion or all of the water soluble protein can be substituted with insoluble protein if mouth-feel is not critical and a grainy product can be tolerated. However, sole use of water soluble protein is preferred. Water soluble proteins such as POWER PRO(copyright) WPC, a water soluble high quality protein product of Land O""Lakes Corporation are useful in the practice of the invention. At least about 95-98% of the protein must be water soluble protein and it is preferred that all the protein be water soluble.
The water soluble protein must be soluble in the composition to the extent required, and not precipitate and be denatured under the acid conditions of the composition.
The amount of protein in the composition can range from about 10% by weight to about 25% by weight, preferably from about 11% by weight to about 21% by weight of the composition, more preferably from about 12% by weight to about 20% by weight, and most preferably from about 14% by weight to about 18% by weight.
The flavors used in the composition can be natural, artificial or mixtures thereof. Generally to achieve an intense, uniform flavor from batch to batch of the frozen product, a mixture of natural and artificial flavors is utilized. It is preferred that a mixture of natural and artificial flavors be utilized.
The natural flavors generally comprise macerated or pureed fruits and/or nuts; however, macerated or pureed vegetables can also be utilized. Fruits such as peaches, bananas, berries such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, plums, kiwi fruit (seeds removed), pears, pineapple, apples, coconut, oranges, lemons; nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashews and the like are useful. Pureed vegetables such as carrots, celery, and tomatoes can be used to provide flavors generally not available in frozen products but which can provide an alternative to the sweet frozen products available.
The flavors imparted to the frozen product by natural flavoring materials are generally intensified or enhanced by addition of artificial flavoring agents and/or flavor enhancers. The artificial flavoring agents and flavor enhancers are added to the composition to provide a more intense and uniform flavor from batch to batch of the frozen product. The artificial flavors and flavor enhancers are well known to one skilled in the food formulation art and are dependent on the particular flavor desired. Examples of the myriad of natural and artificial flavors and flavor enhancers are shown in the examples and can be selected from: (A) flavor oils such as spearmint, cinnamon, oil of wintergreen (methyl salicylate), peppermint (menthol), clove, bay, anise, eucalyptus, thyme, cedar leaf, oil of nutmeg, allspice, oil of sage, mace, oil of bitter almonds, and cassia oil; (B) artificial, natural and synthetic fruit flavors such as vanilla, and citrus oils including lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit, and fruit essences including apple, pear, peach, grape, strawberry, raspberry, cherry, plum, pineapple, apricot and so forth; (C) aldehydes and esters such as acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde, anisic aldehyde, cinnamic aldehyde, citral, neral, decanal, ethyl vanillin, heliotrope, piperonal, vanillin, alpha-amyl cinnamaldehyde, butyraldehyde, valeraldehyde, citronellal, decanal, dihydrocarvyl acetate, eugenyl formate, aldehyde C-8, aldehyde C-9, aldehyde C-12, 2-ethyl butyraldehyde, hexenal, tolyl aldehyde, veratraldehyde, 2,6-dimethyl-5-heptenal, 2,6-dimethyloctanal, 2-dodecenal, p-methylanisol, and so forth. Generally any flavoring or food additive such as those described in Chemicals Used in Food Processing, publication 1274, pages 63-258, by the National Academy of Sciences, incorporated herein by reference, may be used. Other ingredients which may be used in the flavor component include acids such as citric acid, tartaric acid, malic acid and the like acidulants.
The frozen food product contains a combination of bulking agents and sweeteners. The bulking agents can be non-nutritive or nutritive and are required to provide improved mouth-feel. In low available carbohydrate products, the non-nutritive bulking agents take the place of sugar. If it is required that the product contain sugar, all or a portion of the non-nutritive bulking agent can be replaced by sugar sweeteners.
Non-nutritive bulking agents include compositions such as mallitol, sorbitol, hydrogenated corn syrup, inositol and the like. A bulking agent is required to improve mouth-feel of the frozen product or the flavor when the bulking agent comprises a sweetener such as dextrose, fructose or the like. Artificial sweeteners such as (A) water-soluble naturally-occurring intense sweeteners such as dihydrochalcones, monellin, steviosides, glycyrrhizin, dihydroflavenol, and L-aminodicarboxylic acid aminoalkanoic acid ester amides, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,834, and mixtures thereof; (B) water-soluble artificial sweeteners including the soluble saccharin salts such as sodium or calcium saccharin salts, cyclamate salts, the sodium, ammonium or calcium salts of 3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4-one-2,2-dioxide, the potassium salt of 3,4-dihydro-6-methyl-1,2,3-oxathiazine-4-one-2,2-dioxide (Acesulfam-K), the free acid form of saccharin, and the like, and mixtures thereof; (C) dipeptide based sweeteners including L-aspartic acid derived sweeteners, such as 1-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester (Aspartame) and materials described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,492,131, L-alphaaspartyl-N-(2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-3-thietanyl)-D-alaninamide hydrate (Alitame), methyl esters of L-aspartyl-L-phenyl-glycerine and L-aspartyl-L-2,5-dihydrophenyl-glycine, L-aspartyl-2,5dihydro-L-phenylalanine, L-aspartyl-L-(1-cyclohexene)-alanine, and the like, and mixtures thereof; (D) water-soluble. intense sweeteners derived from naturally-occurring water-soluble sweeteners, such as chlorinated derivatives of ordinary sugar (sucrose), e.g., chlorodeoxysugar derivatives such as derivatives of chlorodeoxysucrose or chlorodeoxygalactosucrose, known, for example, under the product designation of Sucralose(copyright); examples of chlorodeoxysucrose and chlorodeoxygalactosucrose derivatives include but are not limited to: 1-chloro-1xe2x80x2-deoxysucrose; 4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl-alpha-D-fructofuranoside, or 4-chloro-4-deoxygalactosucrose; 4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl-1-chloro-1deoxy-beta-D-fructo-furanoside, or 4,1xe2x80x2-dichloro-4,1xe2x80x2dideoxygalactosucrose; 1xe2x80x2,6xe2x80x2-dichloro-1xe2x80x2,6xe2x80x2-dideoxysucrose; 4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl-1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-beta-D-fructofuranoside, or 4,1xe2x80x2,6xe2x80x2-trichloro-4,1xe2x80x2,6xe2x80x2-trideoxygalactosucrose; 4,6-dichloro-4,6-dideoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl-6-chloro-6-deoxy-beta-D-fructofuranoside, or 4,6,6xe2x80x2-trichloro-4,6,6xe2x80x2-trideoxygalactosucrose; 6,1xe2x80x2,6xe2x80x2-trichloro-6,1xe2x80x2,6xe2x80x2-trideoxysucrose; 4,6-dichloro-4,6-dideoxy-alpha-D-galacto-pyranosyl-1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-beta-D-fructofuranoside, or 4,6,1xe2x80x2,6xe2x80x2-tetrachloro-4,6,1xe2x80x2,6xe2x80x2-tetradeoxygalacto-sucrose; and 4,6,1xe2x80x2,6xe2x80x2-tetradeoxy-sucrose, and mixtures thereof; and (E) protein based intense sweeteners such as thaumaoccous denielli (Thaumatin I and II).
Microcrystalline cellulose is used in the present invention to provide a smooth to creamy mouth-feel to the frozen product. It provides the function as a fat replacement or substitute to provide improved mouth-feel. Microcrystalline cellulose comprises fine particulate material which absorbs water and forms a paste which is used as a fat substitute. A preferred microcrystalline cellulose is Blanver""s Best(trademark) Formula 4 cellulose gel sold by Opta Food Ingredients.
Pectin, preferably low methoxyl pectin 35, is required in the composition of the present invention to bind calcium and protein to protect the protein from coagulation due to low pH. Since the fruit flavoring materials used in the present invention are acidic, the pectin prevents formation of insoluble protein particles which can destroy the smooth creamy mouth-feel of the product.
The composition of the invention is water based and can contain up to about 80% by weight water, preferably from about 45 to about 65% by weight water, and most preferably from about 50 to about 60% by weight water. Preferably water makes up the remainder of the formulation after addition of the non-aqueous materials.
The frozen product optionally contains up to about 2% by weight of a stabilizer to provide stability and maintain the smooth creamy texture of the product if it is to pass through many cycles in temperature. Temperature cycling encourages the growth of ice crystals which can cause the texture to become grainy. Inclusion of the stabilizer in the product is preferred but is not critical to the composition unless temperature cycling is expected to occur. However, inclusion of stabilizers in the composition contributes to the smooth creamy mouth-feel of the composition. Useful stabilizers include gums, but are not limited to material such as cellulose gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, carrageenin and the like. Gum stabilizers are well known to food chemists and can be readily selected to provide and maintain the smooth creamy texture of the frozen product of the invention.
The frozen product can contain acidulants such as citric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid and the like. The acids can be partially neutralized and act as flavor ingredients. If low sodium frozen products are required, potassium salts of the acids can be used.
The frozen products can be prepared by mixing the ingredients other than the protein, fruits, flavors, colors and acidulants, pasteurizing the mixture, cooling the pasteurized mixture, then adding the protein, fruits, flavors, colors and acidulants. A mixture containing the protein can also be pasteurized if the temperature is controlled closely to prevent coagulation and denaturing of the protein. However, the fruits, flavors, colors and acidulants are preferably added after the pasteurization. After all the ingredients have been mixed, the mixture is cooled and frozen in a desired shape. A preferred shape is a bar or a cup containing from about 85 to about 120 grams of frozen product.